International Partnerships
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and mutually dependent, transformational relationships are the cornerstone of progress, innovation, and growth. By seeking out and forming partnerships with international industry clusters, BioForward will advance cooperative relationships with innovators in research, development, and manufacturing. In this way, we will leverage each agency’s comparative advantage to support high-quality and sustainable development.
As a major player on the global stage, BioForward Wisconsin is actively seeking out these partnerships to highlight existing strengths, facilitate new partnerships, and expand the scope of the Wisconsin biohealth industry. From assistance with importing to helping navigate regulations and trials to seeking new markets and investments, there is demand in the biohealth industry to facilitate these relationships and share resources.
In March 2021, BioForward formed one such international partnership with BioQuebec, Quebec’s largest biotechnologies and life sciences network. The reciprocal relationship outlined by a formal Memorandum of Understanding defined ways that the organizations and regions can interact to drive economic growth and will also facilitate cross-border partnering and networking for association members.
Resources
Please see resources available from other organizations with international relationships in development to aid in membership progress and growth.
The Consulate General of Canada in Chicago is a Government of Canada diplomatic mission responsible for Canadian interests in the states of Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, northwestern Indiana, and the Kansas City metro area. The Consulate General is part of a worldwide network of Canadian diplomatic and trade offices, including more than 15 across the United States. In the Midwest, Canada accounts for more than 35% of the region’s international trade. Canada is the largest export market for Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin, larger than Mexico, China, Brazil, Australia, and Japan combined.
The U.K Department for International Trade, working from the British Consulate-General, provides free, confidential support to both SMEs and larger corporations. The Department for International Trade is split between sectors, with each team working to support companies entering the U.K. market. A few of the issues the Lifesciences & Healthcare team commonly address involve navigating the NHS, facilitating clinical trials, and addressing regulatory concerns. As each company’s circumstances are different, we are able to utilize our network of specialists and contacts to provide tailored information for a company as they navigate the U.K. market.
Business France assists French companies who want to export in North America, and North American companies who want to invest in France. Their team has both the knowledge and the experience to facilitate BtoB trade relations between the three countries. With offices and branches in New York, Boston, Toronto, Montréal, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Vancouver, and San Francisco, Business France North America is present from coast to coast.
The Economic Section is a division of the Consular Section at the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago. The Section works to foster closer economic cooperation between Japan and the 10 Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. To this end, it conducts an annual survey of Japanese business facilities in the region, promotes Midwest direct investment to Japan, and provides customs information to the public.